A Nightmare Come to Life

Journal Excerpt

September 28, 2008 -Kuta, Bali.-

Jess just stepped on the islands most poisonous snake. I saw it wiggling down the road before she did and I couldn't even warn her. I just ran. here was never any question in my mind whether it would be fight or flight. Flight is always the way to go. But, what I wasn't expecting were my other bodily functions to shut down. I couldn't have spoken if I tried. All I could do, is exactly what I did... run.

Some locals came running. I turned around to see what they would do. They all stayed a healthy distance back and exclaimed in excitement, "Ahh, THIS is the most poisonous snake... THE MOST POISONOUS!" They seemed almost excited to see the wretched little thing on the ground.

I asked what they would do, kill it? They said no, that it should just go back to the water. I had recognised it instantly when I'd first fled from it. It was the same kind of slim-creature they had featured on Planet Earth - The BBC documentary series. The kind that kills many local fishermen every year.

-A bite injects 10-15 milligrams of poison.
1.5 milligrams is enough to kill an adult.-**

I was mortified as it squiggled down the beach towards the warm, inviting waters I had just come from. I spent all day in the water, snorkeling, snapping shots of innocent fish. I had been telling myself all the time that snakes such as the one Jess had just stepped on were not common. But there it was, black and white and just as evil as could be. If you're wondering, Jess was not bitten. But, if she was, we would have had to rush her to the island's nurse. He would administer he anti-venom. If it takes too long to get a person this anti-venom, the locals informed me, (as they made the familiar motion of a finger sweeping across their neck) the unlucky person would die.

And so, after my snake mishap (Trev calls it an adventure but I told him adventures require and element of fun and no part of this experience was fun) I ask myself, 'Why am I here?'

I want to go home.

**This picture was taken from the internet... as if I would stay around long enough to shoot a picture if I saw one of these things while swimming!!

Four Days and Four NIghts: Komodo Boat Trip

Journal Excerpt - Day 4
October 9th, 2008

-Water buffalo skulls. Rinca Island Ranger Station, Komodo National Park, Indonesia.-

Today we awoke bright and early at the gates of Rinca Island, Komodo National Park. Trev and I were able to pay our guide just a little extra and in return get an extra hour tagged onto our tour.

The park and the island were gorgeous. Breathtaking landscapes and amazing animals.

-The vast sprawling landscapes of Rinca Island.-

-A hungry Komodo.-

As we trudged through the forest in the blistering heat we were able to see many dragons. One was sitting on her nest, a maze of holes in the ground (One hole will house the delicate eggs while the remainder of the holes are constructed to confuse predators). One watching a monkey in a tree. And, one eyeing up a water buffalo at the local watering hole.

-A Komodo's future dinner...-

All of them were so large, so powerful and so ominous. On one hand, it was hard to be afraid of them as they lay soaking up the sun. On the other hand, all of the tale of Komodo-caused death runs through one's mind. I found myself growing comfortable in their midst and that was a little scary.

-Pensive monkey. -

-They reach lenghts of up to 4 meters and live to be 60 years of age. They can run 18 Km/hr and their bite is deadly.-

After the park we headed out on the sea again, this time heading for one more swimming stop and then off to our final destination, Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores.

Our last swimming stop was beautiful. No snakes. Really, no coral to speak of but wonderfully, fine white sand and ultra warm water.

-Clown fish, now endangered because of the popularity caused by Disney's Finding Nemo.-

We ended our trip tonight as we docked in the Flores harbour. We left the boat to book flights back to Denpasar, Bali, found and ATM and dinner and then decided to stay on the boat for one more night. Tomorrow it's on to a new adventure.

Four Days and Four Nights: Komodo Boat Trip

Journal Excerpt - Day 3

October 8th, 2008

-A giant male Komodo. Komodo Island, Indonesia.-

When I woke up this morning the boat was still humming along. The night passed quickly. I woke up many times but somehow managed to fall back to sleep quickly.

After breakfast we stopped in the bay of a small island adjacent to Komodo Island. We jumped in the water and headed for shore. The jellyfish and sea lice were ruthless. As we swam quickly to shore and as we approached the beach we realized that the water was riddled with sea urchins. We were relieved to make it to the hot sand in one piece with nothing extra protruding from our dripping bodies.

-An uninhabited island off of Komodo Island. Komodo in the distance.-

We started to climb up the mountain. Trev began to get dizzy and I was so worried about snakes in the grass that we turned back. As we began to wade out in the water I noticed a wiggling motion. Another snake. Another Banded Sea Krait. One bite injects 10 milligrams, while 1.5 milligrams is enough to kill an adult. Needless to say we waited for our crew to pick us up in the canoe. Jellyfish, sea urchins, sea lice and sea krait sound a little to painful for me.

-Giant clam. Red Beach, Komodo National Park, Indonesia.-

Heading off again we arrived shortly as Red Beach. Amazing coral. Amazing fish. Trev and I saw a parrot fish that had to be more than two feet long. Red beach is within Komodo National Park and as such is off limit for fishing and the coral is also protected. I imagine this underwater wonderland could be a good representation of what reefs could have looked like in the past.

The last part of our day took us to Komodo National Park on Komodo Island. Upon arriving we were greeted by our guides. Two guides, with forked reptile handling sticks per group. They ran us throught the strict proceedures for our walk; stick with the group, no talking, watch were you step, and stay behind the guide at all times.

-Park entrance.-

As we started our walk into the jungle the winds picked up and it started to drizzle. None of us minded, our minds were set on catching a glimpse of dragons in the wild. We weren't dissapointed. The king of all lizards were laying sprawled on the jungle floor, surrounded by deer and wild boar. They were massive and sloth-like, yet so dangerous. In fact we were told that just last year a small boy from the village on Komodo was eaten by hungry dragons. Our guide kept a wary eye on the giants while ensuring that us, camera happy tourists, stayed well back. It was amazing to see these rare magnificent beasts in their natural habitat wilderness of Indonesia.

-A hustlers boat. He rowed out to sell us trinkets as we bedded down for the night.-

Docking in a bay off the Island of Komodo, we settled down for the night. As we watched the sun set we were enthralled by the flying foxes (large bats) flying to and fro above our boat. The evening has been peaceful in this perfectly calm bay.

-Sunset over Komodo National Park.-

Four Days and Four Nights: Komodo Boat Trip

Journal Excerpt - Day2

October 7th, 2008

-Beautiful starfish surrounded by myrids of tropical fish.
An uninhabited island off of Sambawa.-

Considering we slept on a rocking boat last night, on thin little bug-ridden mats, we slept well. The boat started up again at 4am and we'd already made good distance by the time we rolled out off our mats. The next time that we stopped was for breakfast and to trek through the jungle. The falls were beautiful but the mucking through the mud, which was devouring people's flip-flops, was not as appealing as swimming to the beach among hundreds of wretched jellyfish.

-Our eating arrangements. Menu: Rice, noodles, and some fruit.-

Off again, this time sailing to a small island with a salt lake in the middle of a small mountain range.

As always we swam to shore, some walked to the lake and the rest remained in the bay examining the untouched coral and marveling at the myriads of fish. The colour and vast variety of sea life was astounding. Nothing broken, nothing touched by man. The fish swam in circles around us inspecting us as we inspected them. Trev and I saw a small brown snake swimming in the reeds. I hate snakes.

-The fish were not afraid of us but swam in circles around us.-

Getting back on the boat we began a foreboding 18 hour journey to Komodo Island. The water was smooth in the afternoon as well as in the evening, but as night approached and we settled down to sleep the open water had become rough again. The boat was tossed to and fro and every so often as we would hit a wave straight on the spray would cover us, all tucked into our beds. We'll drive straight through until morning and see if we survive.

-The bay was filled with extravagant coral.-

Four Days and Four Nights: Komodo Boat Trip

Journal Excerpt - Day 1

October 6th, 2008

Today we left the comforts of the Gilis' and traded our beach front cottage for a mat on the deck of a small boat.

-Our home for four days, on the left. Sambawa, Indonesia.-

We started off early, catching a small canoe-shaped boat to the dreaded Bangsal harbour on Lombok's mainland. In the parking lot we caught a small little van to Mataram. The full, little vehicle allowed us our first chance to meet the sixteen people we would be sharing the deck of the boat with for the next four nights.

In Mataram, we grabbed some money and waited for our boat crew to arrange a few things, then we were off. Our adventure began today with a VERY sweaty, sketchy and squishy bus ride across Lombok on which we picked up, adding to our van of eighteen adults plus luggage:

• 170 large bottles of beer (strapped to the roof)
• 50 cans of Coke and 50 cans of Sprite (also strapped to the roof)
• a massive bunch of pineapple and corn (you guessed it, on the roof)
• and 10 chickens in gunny sacks (not on the roof but strapped to the bumper, riding in front of the car!! Poor chickens)
  
  

-Dinner.-

We arrived in the harbour intact... amazingly enough. We got our first glimpse of our home for the next four days and four nights. At first sight it seemed impossible that we would fit sixteen tourists and 5 crew on the old little boat and have the boat still sea worthy. Yikes! I'm glad that there are life jackets.

-Our sleeping arrangements while on board.-

Once on the water, our journey took us across the strait between the islands of Lombok and Sambawa. The waves were violent. Trev and I laid down on the top deck, we were holding onto the railing so that we wouldn't be tossed across the deck. Trev was almost sick. I thought for sure the boat was going to tip. Both of us wondered what we'd gotten ourselves into.

-Trev sleeping sleeping through the rough seas.-

After we safely made it across the strait and started traveling behind the island of Sambawa the waters became quite calm, thankfully.

And, now, we're stopped for the night, somewhere in the ocean and settling in under the stars.

-Sunset off of Sambawa.-

Underwater Wonderland

-Coral reef. Gili Trawangan.-

We had a lot of fun experimenting with our new underwater camera. Here are just a few of the shots that we managed to get. Keep in mind that no matter what camera you have, nothing can do justice to the beauty of tropical fish and unspoiled coral.

-Trev snorkeling. Gili Air.-

-A humongous brain coral which is the size of a small car.
Sambawa, Indonesia.-

-Sea turtle. Swimming out into the deep open water, Trev was fortunate enough to get a clear shot of one of the many turtle that call the Gilis home.Gili Meno, Lombok.-

-Snorkeling in Gili Air.-

-Coral reef in front of our bungalow. Gili Air.-

-The reef of an uninhabitable island off the coast of Sambawa.-

-Red Beach, Komodo National Park, Flores.-

Gili Air

-Abandoned boat. Gili Air, Lombok.-

Our entire trip to date with all the planning, scrimping and saving, finishing work, traveling through New Zealand and Australia at a whirlwind pace was leading up to our anticipated arrival at a small island off the tip of Lombok, Gili Air.

-Lunch on Gili Meno.-

-A beautiful beach.-

When we were through this way in February we spent the majority of our time looking for a remote tropical island with huts on the beach and world class snorkeling out our front door. We knew that postcard perfect places existed but it was less easy to find them. So, naturally when we stumbled upon secluded Gili Air with its white sand, palms, reefs and laid back locals, we stayed.

-A young local boy fishing.-

We drank in the sun on our last stay and lived in the water. We dreamt of the beaches while we were away and we arranged every detail to bring us back... and here we are.

-Young turtles at a turtle sanctuary on Gili Meno.-

-A typical horse cart. 10,000Rp per ride.-

Upon arrival last week we noted many changes to the island. More people, more horse carts (the only mode of transportation, as there are no vehicles on the island), more restaurants, more improvements to resorts (including more huts), and more notably everything cost more money. At our favorite resort the cost of a two story rice barn more than doubled in price, now costing $25.00 a night.

-Locals.-

Despite the money factor, it was nice to see progress on the island if only for the locals sake. More money for them means more food and more children in school. That in itself is not such a terrible thing.

-A local home. Notice the stilts.-

We spent most of our days snorkeling in the shoals in front of our bungalow. We explored the brilliant reefs and admired the vast underwater world. The rest of our days were filled with lounging on the beach, avoiding the hot sand, reading books in the afternoon shade of the palms and catching up on quality time together. Our time on Gili Air lived up to and possibly surpassed our months of expectation.

Check out our last stay on Gili Air.